That Sweet Smile

 I was finally able to get my hands on some Helmar's glue and now I know what all of the fuss is about.  I pretty much used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive for nearly the entire layout.  Love this stuff!  I decided to enter the August Challenge over at the Helmar's blog and created this fun layout.

I used Bo Bunny's Cambridge Collection for this layout.  The photos are of my son a few years ago.

 I had so much fun getting messy with paint!!  A splatter here, a splatter there...

 The awesome chipboard elements are made by The Dusty Attic.  Here I used the Tribal Design #7 (DA0311).  I dabbed it with white acrylic paint and spritzed it with Donna Salazar's new Smooch Spritz- Candle Glow.

 To alter this cog (Jumbo Cogs DA0232), I first dry embossed it using a Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folder.  I then inked it, painted it, smooched it and heat embossed it with Distress embossing powder.  It takes a lot of work to look grungy!  LOL.

 I made the green flowers using Donna Salazar's Rose Creations die by Spellbinders.  It is my favorite die for flower making.

 Dusty Attic Cogs #1 (DA0001)

 The buttons you see are also chipboard elements (Buttons DA0510) that were covered with paper.  I added eyelets to the holes.

 The title is made up of Grungeboard letters and alphabet stickers.  I traced the chipboard buttons onto my layout and stitched the circles for added texture.  The edges of the photos were distressed with white paint.

The hinges (DA0509) were also dry embossed prior to the inking and painting process.  Brads were added to the holes to add a metallic feel to the hinges.
Thank you for stopping by and for always leaving me so much love.  Hope everyone is well.  Have a beautiful day! For a list of products used, please click on the link below. That Sweet Smile

Update and a big THANK YOU

Unfortunately, we still have no power.  Thankfully, I have somewhere safe to stay.  Feeling a little down and am dreading the clean up process ahead, but I know all will turn out well.  I just wanted to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to those who have sent me messages and who have left me comments.  I sincerely appreciate your concern and thoughts and am so lucky to have friends like you all.  Stay safe and enjoy your week.  Many hugs to you all.

My Heart and Soul

*Sorry this layout is being posted a day late.  We were hit hard by Hurricane Irene and have lost power for almost a day now. *

Happy Sunday!!  Time for another Creative Scrappers reveal!!  This week I used Bo Bunny's Timepiece collection for my layout.  The little boy in the photo is my lil' man about eight years ago.  Check out those cheeks!!  (Don't tell him I said that... he gets embarrassed.  LOL)

The Brick Wall Panel (DA0316) is manufactured by The Dusty Attic.  I cut it apart, inked it with Glimmer Mist and distressed it using Distress embossing powder.

A mix of Prima flowers, Tim Holtz Foliage and flower brads.

The 'eyelet border' was created using a Fiskars punch and a whole lot of eyelets!

The title is made up of Grungeboard letters that were inked and painted.  The heart is actually a cute little chippie (Mini Hearts DA0514).  I added eyelets and Distress embossing powder to the large cog to grunge it up a bit. 

The edges of the photos and the corrugated board were dry-brushed with white acrylic paint.

The vintage metal embellie tucked behind the corrugated board was purchased from Maxine's Melange.  Maxine has a wonderful selection of vintage goodies!

Thanks for taking a peek!!  Have a beautiful week!!

For a list of products used, please click on the link below.
My Heart and Soul

Hurricane Irene Hit Us Hard!

Today was a miserable day.  Hurricane Irene really kicked our butts.  Everything was fine and dandy until the power went out around 5 am.  The power outage shut down our pump and french drain causing all of the water from my flooded backyard to seep into my basement.  I was so upset to see that my basement was completely destroyed- carpet, couches, everything.  But I suppose it could have been worse.  Thankfully we are all safe and a big THANK YOU to my family and dear friends who came over to help me scoop all of the water out.  We still have a long way to go before my basement will be nice again.  One step at a time.  We still have no power and there is not much that can be done at the moment.  Hope those of you that were affected are safe and I send you my thoughts. 

Speechless

 Hello my fellow crafters!  Today I have a shabby layout to share that was created with a combination of Donna Salazar's Antiquities and Spring in Bloom Collections.  I love how the different papers can be mixed and matched.

 For the background of my layout I used a sheet of Donna's Corrugated Board.  I painted and inked it and cut out a diamond-shaped hole in the center. 

 I really enjoy creating my own flowers.  These flowers were made using Donna's Carnation Creations Die.  Click HERE for a simple tutorial on how to make this flower.

 Along the inside of the cut-out center, I tucked away torn pieces of The Crafty Chronicle.  The Sweet Pea Frame (DA0573) is a chipboard element made by The Dusty Attic.  To decorate this frame, I first coated the chipboard with Donna's new (and completely amazing) Mix'd Media Inx.  Then I inked the chippie with Green Olive Smooch Spritz and dabbed white acrylic paint on top of it.

 The white embossed texture you see beside the photo was created with Clearsnap's Design Adhesives.  You simply peel and stick the Design Adhesive to your project and coat it with whatever you like- glitter, embossing powder, etc.

 I have a slight obsession with lacing LOL.  I used tulle to add a softer feel to my layout.  You can find a tutorial for my lacing technique HERE.

I used a Dymo Caption Maker for the journaling.  I love the embossed texture of the letters.  The journaling and title were inspired by Mandy Harrell!  Thanks Mandy!

Thanks for visiting!  Have a wonderful week!

For a list of products used, please click on the link below.

Speechless

Simple Elegance Flower

Supplies Needed:- Donna Salazar's Carnation Creations Die by Spellbinders- Quick-drying Glue- Needle-nose Pliers or Tweezers- Decorative Brad

 Please refer to the image on the left for the three die sizes we will use. You will need (2) of the larger size, (1) Medium and (1) Small.

STEP 1: Prior to beginning, I swiped a little Jasmine Mix'd Media inx along the ends of the petals.  It's difficult to see in the photos, but I like the subtle, yet shabby, touch it adds to the flower.

 STEP 2: Beginning with the largest layer, place the needle-nose pliers on the left side of a petal.

 STEP 3: Gently twist the pliers (to the right) towards the center of the petal.  It helps to use the thumb of your free hand to hold down the petal as you twist.

 STEP 4: Now place the pliers on the right side of the petal and twist inward (to the left).  You have now completed what I call a 'double pinch and twist'.  Repeat this step on all petals of the (2) largest layers and the (1) medium layer.

 This technique adds a subtle ripple to the petals of your flower.

 This is what your layers should look like now.  The smallest layer is left alone.

 STEP 5: Using a quick-dry adhesive, place a line of glue around the center hole of Layer 1.  Adhere Layer 2 to Layer 1.  Be sure to line up the holes and off-set the petals.  The reason I like to glue the layers together is to prevent the layers from shifting after I secure them with a brad.

 STEP 6: Adhere Layer 3 (medium layer) to Layer 2 in the same manner, remembering to off-set the petals.

 STEP 7: Adhere the final layer to the top of the flower.

STEP 8: Secure with a decorative brad and voila!!  You get a super simple, yet beautiful, flower!